Living Ethically In The Modern WorldSample

Not long ago, it rained so much that water flooded over the river and into the main street. The winds were so strong, they knocked the power out. But before I even had time to go out and buy candles, the lights were back on.    I hadn’t anticipated the storm, but it only disrupted my life for a few hours.   Yet, for Adelia and her family living in Mozambique, a ferocious storm disrupted their lives forever:  “We had no warning. We only found out when my sister came running to our house. We were all asleep in bed. She was frightened, saying the floods had started. People were screaming in the homes all around us. We just stood outside and watched the water rise. Then we tried to grab some of our stuff but the river just took over. So, we ran. I felt so afraid, so sad. We lost everything in one night.”   Last year, the River Licungo in Mocuba, where Adelia and her family were living, rose by more than 40 ft. in one day. The floods swept in fast, displacing 60,000 people who lived along its banks. Those people now live in a resettlement camp on dry, barren land, where, ironically water is sparse. Because of the changing climate, flooding, droughts and unpredictable weather conditions are certain to become a regular occurrence. This will lead to more hunger, poverty, displacement and even conflict. Millions of people already living in vulnerable communities will be forced from their homes and become climate refugees.    God separated out the land from the water; however, his perfect ordering of creation has been disrupted. While it can be hard to see how our everyday actions lead to such catastrophic shifts, the evidence is clear: the temperature of the earth is changing because of man-made activity. We can’t fix everything overnight, but we can start today by taking action to reduce our carbon emissions and tread lightly on the earth.    Each time you use water today, see if you can reduce the amount, even if it’s only a little. Turn the water off when you brush your teeth or spend less time in the shower. Each time you do this, think of Adelia and say a prayer for her family.